Mill of Inverarity Farm in Angus has been announced as the ninth and final new monitor farm being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
Husband and wife team Rob and Alison Stodart farm 358 hectares (152 owned, 206 rented) on two separate units and their enterprises include cereals, suckler cows and sheep. They were keen to join the monitor farm programme to ensure their farm remains sustainable for many years to come
Alison says: “We really want to make sure we have something to pass on to our children. We love farming, it really is a way of life for us, but it needs to be a sustainable business as well. That’s a big part of the reason we wanted to be part of the monitor farm project, to help us become more productive and efficient long-term.”
Rob and Alison have three children, all of whom still live on the farm – Vicky (23), Rory (21) and Tom (18), and both boys work on the farm full time. Like many of the younger generation they are full of ideas and luckily for them, their parents are very open to doing things differently.
“I have always farmed a certain way,” Rob explains, “but over recent years the boys have been telling me I need to try new things. We’re really happy to listen to their suggestions as well as other farmers who might visit the farm as part of the project.”
Currently Mill of Inverarity devotes 130 hectares to spring barley, 30 hectares to winter barley, 25 hectares to oilseed rape and 40 hectares to winter wheat. However, that is currently under review.
Rob says: “We are considering reducing the area of spring barley planted for malting, largely because the premium is not very good these days. We could instead look at increasing the fertiliser input so we get a higher nitrogen content and sell it as feed instead. We have also experienced a fair bit of grain skinning over the last couple of seasons which has made growing for malt sector a challenge.”
The Stodarts are also considering some changes to their livestock enterprises. They have just doubled the size of the main flock to 440 breeding ewes (Texel and Texel Beltex crosses) and also buy in approximately 300 store lambs to finish. There are also 200 suckler cows (Simmental Limousin crosses), with 150 stores and 150 finishers. However the family are reviewing whether the current enterprise mix represents the best policy going forward and are keen to assess how they can make the livestock more efficient.
“We have been grazing the cattle out and about at extra cost,” Rob says, “and we want to keep them on farm in future. However, that would mean giving over arable land to pasture and we’re not sure that’s the best idea. Do we reduce livestock or reduce cereals? It’s all up for discussion.”
Those interested in being involved in the project should contact David Ross on 01569 762 305, or at david.ross@sac.co.uk.
Corskie Farm, on the Morayshire coast, has been selected as the eighth of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The enterprise is run by Iain Green in partnership with his mother and father, and the family have been farming in the area for over 60 years.
Precision farming is likely to be a key component of the project in Morayshire with Iain keen to use it to help cut costs and increase yields. Just outside Elgin, Corskie Farm is a large mixed enterprise with over 688 hectares devoted to cereals, and Iain currently records and reviews as much data as he can on his crops, to help improve their performance.
“I use an online system developed by Agrovista which has been a big help over the last three years, increasing our understanding of the soils, the inputs, the weather, and of course the yields.” Iain explains: “Having a more in depth understanding has helped us to develop more focused and flexible fungicide programmes, and ensure we are making the best use of our slurry and manures.”
As well as developing that system further, Iain also plans to increase the monitoring of their 380 Simmental suckler cows, again with an eye on efficiency.
He says: “We’ve been building the size of the herd over the last few years, but now I think we need to look at how we ensure it is as productive and profitable as possible. I’d like to increase monitoring of liveweight gains, and also look at how much meat we are producing per cow.”
All the farms on the programme will be using Farmbench, a benchmarking tool developed by AHDB to help farmers understand and compare full costs of production at both enterprise and farm level.
In total Iain and his team farm 1,416 hectares of land (809 of which is owned) of cereals, sheep, cattle and pigs. As well as the 380 commercial Simmental crosses, the farm has 200 pedigree Simmental cows, 600 Mule and Mule cross Texel sheep, and an indoor breeding herd of 380 sows. While the majority of their arable lands goes for spring barley for distilling (over 526 hectares), they also grow winter barley, winter wheat and spring oats, much of which are used to feed the livestock.
“The different farm enterprises are fairly well integrated,” Iain explains, “as well as growing our own feed through the cereals side, we also use the manure from the livestock on the arable fields and pasture. We apply it differently in different areas, using our soil and yield maps to make sure we are controlling our inputs and maintaining soil fertility and nutrient balance.”
With so much land to cover, Iain is hugely appreciative of his dedicated team of twelve full time employees, without whom the Corskie wouldn’t be able to operate. He is also assisted by his two daughters, Laura (20) and Jemma (16), who both plan to work on the farm full time in the future.
“What we do here wouldn’t be possible without our committed and knowledgeable staff, and I try to make sure they are really involved, part of day to day decision making” Iain says. “I was lucky to be given responsibility early on by my father and grandfather, and that level of involvement shows people they have a real stake in the farm and its success.”
Following this example of taking on responsibility young, Iain is keen to see both Laura and Jemma get involved in the monitor farm programme, having found similar projects helpful in developing his own expertise.
He says: “I think the programme will be good not only for me and the staff, but for Laura and Jemma as well. It will give them the opportunity to learn from other farmers, see totally new practices and try some of them out. There is no better way to learn.”
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
Those interested in being involved in the project should contact Samantha Stewart on 01343 548 789 / samantha.stewart@sac.co.uk or Derek Hanton on 01463 233 266 / derek.hanton@sac.co.uk.
Two neighbouring farms which were once part of the same large estate have been selected as the new Lothians Monitor Farm. Prestonhall Farms and Saughland Farm are the seventh of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
Although separate businesses, the two farms have maintained close links since the estate was divided into three 20 years ago, and are positive that their partnership will strengthen as they work together as a joint monitor farm.
Prestonhall Farms is an arable enterprise of 660 hectares growing cereals and oilseeds on a five year rotation while nearby Saughland Farm comprises of 320 hectares with 70 ha arable, 1,900 breeding sheep and 55 suckler cows where all progeny is sold finished or retained for breeding.
The project will be hosted jointly by their respective farm managers Bill Gray and Peter Eccles, both of whom see a lot of potential in collaborating more closely over the course of the project. Their situation is unlike any of the other monitor farms, and will create the opportunity to develop the concept of collaboration further, and demonstrate the opportunities for other farmers in working together to spread costs and ensure resources are efficiently utilised.
Prestonhall Farms manager Bill Gray, says: “At the moment we do share some resources, for example contract work on land and occasionally staff, on an ad hoc basis. However, I hope that through this programme we will develop those links further and with more structure.
“I feel very comfortable going into this as a joint project as Peter and I have similar philosophies in terms of what we are trying to do, and I think the farms will benefit from both closer working and the wider monitor farm project.”
Bill has spent over twenty years working at Prestonhall Farms, moving up from Northamptonshire to take on the role of arable manager in 1994. Now farm and estate manager, he has seen the farm change significantly over the course of his tenure.
From introducing minimum till over ten years ago, developing a soil nutrition programme based on GPS soil analysis and yield mapping, to making the difficult decision in 2010 to sell the 40-strong suckler herd and focus solely on arable.
Currently the farm devotes approximately 120 ha to spring barley, with 160 ha winter wheat, 70 ha winter barley, 70 ha oilseed rape and 60 ha oats, along with over 100 ha permanent pasture and 78 ha of woodland.
Always open to new ideas Bill is looking forward to reviewing the farm enterprises once more with fresh eyes, searching for new approaches to crop management, organic matter content and storage and drying facilities for the farm’s grain.
He says: “The monitor farm programme gives you a chance to challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone and put your head above the parapet. I’m looking forward to getting a better handle on how we are currently performing, listening to the ideas of others in the community and making changes to ensure a robust and sustainable business for the future. I believe that this is imperative given the challenges that we face given the current uncertainty.”
Farm manager of neighbouring Saughland Farm, Peter Eccles, is of the same mind. “I applied to become a monitor farmer because I wanted to ensure Saughland is moving in the right direction in creating a financially and environmentally sustainable business for the future. I am focused on analysing our performance to make better informed decisions. Working with Bill will allow us to develop our current collaboration into something more structured, drawing on each other’s expertise and sharing resources efficiently.”
Peter joined Saughland Farm three years ago, having previously worked with SAC Consulting as an agricultural consultant.
In just a short time Peter has more than doubled the sheep numbers (from 950 to over 1900) as he is works to increase farm revenue without increasing fixed costs. The flock has slowly moved from indoor to outdoor lambing and he has been replacing the original Scotch Mule Texel crosses with Romney Aberfield crosses because of the latter’s ability to do more from grass and with less intervention at lambing time. The farm also has 55 suckler cows, mainly Angus, Hereford, and Limousin crosses, which complement the sheep enterprise and are integral to the grazing system.
Peter hopes the monitor farm programme will help him develop a number of areas on farm. For example; making better use of EID, increase kilos of liveweight produced per hectare and improved marketing of their grass-finished produce. The outdoor lambs are also not without their challenges.
“Next year is the first year all the ewes will lamb outside,” Peter explains, “and while moving to outdoor has saved us £13 per lamb, we do have to think about how to safeguard our system as we scale it up. We don’t have the use of sheds so wintering a large flock is a challenge. It is questions such as these I hope the monitor farm programme will help answer.”
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
Those interested in being involved in the project should Colin MacPhail, one of the project facilitators, on 07747 046 461 or at colin@macphailconsulting.co.uk.
A family farm run by two sisters has been announced today (20th December 2016) as the new Shetland monitor farm.
Bigton Farm, run by Kirsty and Aimee Budge, is the sixth of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
Kirsty (23) and Aimee, (19) are passionate about farming and keen to improve the farm business. They are also keen to raise awareness of the importance of farming on Shetland and the role of women in agriculture.
The Budge family have farmed at Bigton, on the west side of the Shetland South Mainland since 1860, initially as tenants before Kirsty and Aimee’s great grandfather bought the farm in 1950. The family also own nearby Toab Farm with the two farms being run side by side.
The sisters have been involved on the farm from an early age and then took over the day to day running of the business from 2014 with support from their family.
Kirsty works as a teacher on the island as well as running the farm and Aimee is in the final year of a HND in agriculture at SRUC Aberdeen Campus (Craibstone) and works on the farm out of term time.
In total, the Budge sisters farm 300 hectares, most which is permanent pasture and intensive grassland. They have 240 Shetland cross Cheviot ewes which are put to a Suffolk tup. The ewes are kept on the stunning 80 hectare St Ninians Isle most of the year, which can be accessed from the farm by a sandy causeway. The ewes return to the arable fields for flushing a month before tupping and again for lambing. The ewes and lambs are then turned back out onto the isle a week after lambing. The lambs are either finished or sold as stores at Thainstone in December.
Kirsty Budge commented: “We are happy with our sheep numbers but would like to see if we can improve our lambing percentages and the growth rates of our lambs so that we can get them away quicker.”
The sisters also have 70 spring calving Saler cross Shorthorn suckler cows which the sisters feel is a cow type which suits the farm. These are either put to a Charolais or Shorthorn bull, with the heifers being put to a Saler.
Aimee Budge commented: “Shorthorns work for us as they are hardy with some being outwintered which helps us keep our costs down.” The sisters sell most store calves at local markets at 12 months, but also finish some and supply local butchers on the island.
Bigton farm is one of just a handful of farms on Shetland that is suited to growing barley. The family harvested approximately 60 tonnes of barley this year, most of which was kept to feed their store calves and finishing cattle as well as store lambs and breeding ewes, with the reminder sold to local farmers. They are keen to increase their barley output in the future as they feel that there is a strong market opportunity to sell it on the island.
The Budges hope that being monitor farmers will not only help them develop their business and learn more about how they can make it more profitable, but that other farmers and crofters on Shetland will benefit from the programme too.
Aimee Budge said: “Farming on Shetland has some unique challenges – a short growing season means that cattle on the island are usually housed for longer, increasing feed costs. The weather, especially the high winds, can also be a challenge, and transport costs for animals, feed and other supplies are also much higher compared with most farms on the mainland.
“While there are certainly challenges, there are also a lot of positives. Shetland is a beautiful place to live and work and has a wonderful farming community. People here are incredibly friendly and supportive and we really hope that the local farmers will get involved and make the project successful,” added Aimee.
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
The new Shetland Monitor Farm plans to hold its first meeting in the new year. Those interested in getting involved should contact the project facilitator, Graham Fraser, SAC Consulting Lerwick on 01595 693520, or email frbslerwick@sac.co.uk
A family-run Borders farm has been announced today (Friday 16 December) as the fifth of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
Whitriggs Farm, near Denholm is run by Robert and Lesley Mitchell and their son Stuart with support during busy periods from Stuart’s brother, Alistair.
The Mitchells, who are keen to both develop their farm business and safeguard it for future generations, currently farm 442 hectares of mainly semi-permanent and permanent grassland. They also grow approximately 40 hectares of winter wheat and oats for feeding their stock. The farm rises from 400 feet to 1,400 feet and includes local landmark Rubers Law.
Robert Mitchell’s father originally bought Whitriggs farm in 1946 and the family bought the neighbouring Denholmhill Farm in 1999 and now run both farms as a single business.
The Mitchells have 140 suckler cows which are a combination of Beef Shorthorn cross and Aberdeen Angus cross. All the cattle are housed from mid-November and turned out in April depending on grass availability. All calves not required as herd replacements are finished on the farm.
Whitriggs also runs 1000 Lleyn ewes which are put to either a Lleyn, Suffolk or Hampshire tup. Ewes are brought inside in mid-February ready to lamb from 20th March onwards. Lambs generally reach their target 42kg liveweight from August and the family aims to have all the lambs marketed by Christmas.
Whilst the family are fairly happy with their current calving and lambing percentages, they feel there is still room for improvement with the help of the community group of local farmers that will support the farm through throughout the three year project.
In terms of the day-to-day management of the farm, Stuart generally leads on the cattle while Robert focuses on the sheep. Any major decisions about the direction of the farm are discussed as a family, with Robert and Lesley Mitchell very aware that one day the farm will be managed by the next generation.
“Succession is something that we have had to think about for the farm,” said Mrs Mitchell. “We are pleased with what we have managed to achieve so far, but feel that we now need to look for opportunities to develop the business further so that, when the time comes, we can pass down a farm business with a viable future.”
Robert Mitchell added: “I believe that if you are not going forward you are going backward. Standing still isn’t an option for us.”
The family are excited about taking part in the monitor farm programme and the potential to improve efficiencies on their own farm. With pasture playing such an important role in the farming system, grass management is something the Mitchells are keen to improve, as well as their calving and lambing percentages.
Stuart Mitchell, who is also Chairman of the local Teviotdale Young Farmers Club, said he was really looking forward to learning how they could do things better to prepare themselves for whatever the future brings.
He said: “There are lots of young farmers in this area at a similar stage to myself so we really hope that they will get involved as well and benefit from the project too.”
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
The first meeting of the Borders Monitor Farm is expected to take place early in the new year. Those interested in being involved in the project should contact Stephen Young, one of the project facilitators, on 07502 339613 or email Stephen.young@saos.coop
A farm run by a young and enthusiastic farmer with high hopes for the future of the family business has been announced today (December 2 2016) as the new North Ayrshire monitor farm.
Girtridge Farm near Dundonald in Ayrshire, run by 27-year-old John Howie, is the fourth of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
The farm business is a partnership involving John, his mother Margaret and his sister Mary. The family moved to Girtridge in 2000 and in 2010 John took over the day-to-day management of the farm, with family support.
The 116-hectare farm sits in an elevated position just outside Dundonald, and the family also own a further 35 hectares of grazing land nearby.
The main farm enterprise is buying in store cattle and finishing them for sale direct to local abattoirs but the family also have a herd of 10 suckler cows. The farm also runs 140 cross ewes producing Suffolk and Texel prime lambs that are mainly sold through nearby Ayr market. Everything grown on the farm is used on-farm including 56 hectares of silage and hay and 28 hectares of spring barley.
The Howies feel fortunate that Girtridge is very versatile. This means they are not restricted to one type of farming policy and they are happy to consider a future change in direction as a result of the monitor farm process.
Mr Howie, who studied accountancy at Strathclyde University, is keen to start recording production data on the farm and to benchmark and improve the efficiency of the business with the help of other local farmers.
“Ultimately I would like to grow the business and expand the farm as efficiently as possible, maximising profit and reducing costs,” said Mr Howie.
He added: “I am really looking forward to learning from other farmers and looking at what we could do at Girtridge to strengthen our business. I think it will be a huge learning curve, but one that I will benefit from, as well as the local farmers who get involved.”
Mr Howie is an active member of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Club (SAYFC) and has been a past chairman of Ayrshire district as well as National Member of the Year in 2012. He has found being in the SAYFC very valuable and hopes that younger farmers will get involved with the monitor farm programme.
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
The new North Ayrshire Monitor Farm plans to hold its first meeting in the new year. Those interested in getting involved should contact the project facilitators, Raymond Crerar and Carol-Anne Warnock, SAC Consulting Ayr on 01292 525148, or email FBSAyr@sac.co.uk
The family whose farm has been selected as the new Sutherland monitor farm is looking forward to the challenge of being involved in the initiative and the potential to take their farm business to a new level.
Clynelish Farm, near Brora in Sutherland, has been announced today (Nov 30th November 2016) as one of nine new monitor farms which are being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
The 125-hectare farm is run by Jason Ballantyne and his wife Vic, in partnership with Jason’s dad Murdo. The Ballantyne family took on the tenancy of Clynelish in 1982 with Jason taking over the majority of the day-to-day management of the business in 2012. They also contract farm 48 hectare nearby and rent a further 50 hectares of rough grazing.
The family has focused considerable attention on improvements to the grass and soil of the farm during the past three decades and have seen some good results. However, Jason Ballantyne, who admits to being a little “grass obsessed”, feels there is still scope to improve grass utilisation and increase overall outputs.
The family runs 900 breeding ewes, of which about half are Lairg type Cheviots and the other half Lleyn cross. The ewes all lamb outdoors at the end of April over 3 weeks, which has been the policy for about 7yrs with the tight lambing suiting their system.
Replacements are home bred with about half the Cheviots staying pure and the other half now going to the Aberfield. All cross ewes go to Meatlinc and New Zealand Suffolk rams. The family’s store lambs are generally sold through Dingwall Mart or off farm privately with a small number of prime lambs going to Elgin (Mey Selections).
The Ballantynes also have 80 suckler cows which are a mostly a mixture of Simmental cross native cows which are all outwintered. They calve outside in May and June to continental bulls and the calves are weaned in mid-November. Calves are housed inside over the winter months on a diet of silage and grainbeet. These are sold as stores in Thainstone mart at 10 months.
The farm produces all its own hay and silage and all stock are nearly completely forage fed. The Ballantynes are keen to find ways to supplement their winter keep and grew 12 hectares of brassicas for the sheep and cattle this year. Straw for bedding and feeding is bought-in, along with some draff from the neighbouring Clynelish Distillery which is mixed with beetpulp and pitted.
As well as being the new monitor farm for Sutherland, Clynelish is also an SRUC climate change focus farm. As part of this project, the business has been trying to find practical ways to improve efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.
Vic and Jason are excited about being involved in the new monitor farm programme and are looking forward to seeing how their farm, and other farms in Sutherland and the far North, will benefit from the initiative.
“It’s going to be great to have specialists coming to the area and sharing their knowledge and expertise on how to step up efficiency with us and other local farmers,” said Vic Ballantyne.
Jason Ballantyne added: “I think it is really important to us as farmers to challenge ourselves and look at our businesses and the way we do things. Hopefully by doing this, we can go on to make improvements and improve our bottom line.
“I’m particularly looking forward to collecting more data on our farm so that we can make more informed choices about which direction to take the farm in in the future,”, said Mr Ballantyne.
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
Planning has begun for the first meeting at the new Sutherland Monitor Farm, which will be held in the new year. Those interested in being involved in the project, they should contact Cat MacGregor, one of the project facilitators, SAC Consulting Thurso on 01847 892602, or email FBSThurso@sac.co.uk
Strone Farm near Fort William, was revealed today (November 10th 2016) by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, as the first of a tranche of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland.
The 1,200 hectare hill farm, located in the Great Glen, one of Scotland’s most scenic, but also wettest areas, is run by Chris Cameron in partnership with his father Malcolm and mother Eileen.
The family, who are tenants of Lochiel and Achnacarry Estate, were inspired to become monitor farmers after attending meetings held on two previous monitor farms on Mull and North Connel, Argyll.
They have already successfully introduced some changes in response to some of the main challenges the farm faces – including an annual rainfall of 120 inches and a major fox problem at lambing time.
However, they feel there is plenty of scope for the farm business to benefit from further changes and fresh ideas which could improve the efficiency of the business which runs 550 North Country Cheviot ewes and 40 pure Limousin cows.
Chris Cameron, who has three young children with his wife Tina, will be taking over the reins from his father in the months ahead. He is particularly keen to have a very clear understanding of the farm’s performance by carefully benchmarking figures.
Mr Cameron said: “We are far from perfect and we know that there is plenty of scope to make improvements to our business through being part of the monitor farm project.
“We’re also really looking forward to sharing the benefits of having a monitor farm in Lochaber with other farmers in the area. That said, we are also a bit nervous!”
One unusual challenge which the Cameron family face is that most of the farm’s better quality grass, is found on the other side of the Caledonian Canal to the main farm. Access to this grazing land involves going under the Caledonian Canal through a tunnel which isn’t large enough for anything other than a quad bike.
Malcolm Cameron commented: “We are on the edge of agriculture here in many respects. We try our best, but any small improvement we can make as a result of being monitor farmers, will make a big difference to our farms productivity.”
The Cameron family are big fans of the Limousin breed which they feel perform very well for them, and store calves from the herd regularly top the sale prices at Dingwall.
“We originally had hill breeds but the move to Limousins has seen good results. We think the Limousins give us the best confirmation and they work well for us at Strone,” said Chris Cameron.
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointed by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
Preparations are underway to hold the first meeting at the new Lochaber Monitor Farm early in the new year. If anyone is interested in being involved in the project, they should contact the project facilitators, Niall Campbell & Morven MacArthur, SAC Consulting Oban on 01631 563093, or email FBSOban@sac.co.uk
A couple who set up their farm business only four years ago and are keen to drive it to a new level, have been announced today (November 21st 2016) as the new Nithsdale monitor farmers.
Clonhie Farm, near Penpont in Dumfries and Galloway, run by Andrew and Aileen Marchant, is the second of nine new monitor farms being established in Scotland as part of a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.
Clonhie Farm is 300 hectares, with 40 hectares of good hill rising to around 800ft and 260 hectares of upland grassland. The couple run the farm without any staff – though they have two willing helpers in their children William (6) and Anna (4).
Before the couple took over the tenancy of Clonhie in March 2012, Andrew Marchant was the manager of a dairy and beef unit in Castle Douglas. The aim, however, was always to run their own farm business.
The Marchants originally leased the 93 hectare Clonhie farm along with the farmhouse and outbuildings from Buccleuch Estates in 2012. Over the past four years they have taken on more land from Buccleuch, and earlier this year took on a neighbouring 134 hectare farm, also owned by the Estate.
The stock numbers on Clonhie have increased significantly since 2012 and show no sign of stopping. Andrew brought his own small flock of 20 ewes with him to Clonhie and bought 180 in-lamb ewes in spring 2012. Clonhie now has 900 breeding ewes and 230 ewe lambs and the couple hope to reach their target of 1,200 ewes by 2020.
They have also established a small herd of eight Luing cows and plan to build the herd up to about 40 in order to sell females and bulls in the future.
The Marchants are ready to embrace any change that the community group may suggest in order to improve the farm’s bottom line.
“So far we have focused on building the business and the number of sheep in particular. Now we need to focus on improving the technical efficiency of the whole farm business, so becoming monitor farmers is perfect timing for us. We also hope many more farmers will share the benefits of what we learn along the way,” said Mr Marchant.
The new three-year monitor farm programme is being run jointed by Quality Meat Scotland and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. It is establishing a group of farms to serve as monitor farms to help improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of producers through practical demonstrations, the sharing of best practice and the discussion of up-to-date issues.
The first meeting of the Nithsdale Monitor Farm is expected to take place early in the new year. Those interested in being involved in the project should contact Judith Hutchison, one of the project facilitators, on 07718 919055 or email Judith.agridigm@icloud.com